Jake Aikman is a London-born South African contemporary artist best known for his highly sought-after seascape paintings depicted in his characteristic hyperrealist style. Aikman completed his BAFA at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town in 2005 before going on to receive his MFA from the same institution in 2008. His debut exhibition, This Must Be the Place, was shown at Everard Read, Cape Town in 2006.
Aikman’s practice comprises both landscapes and seascapes, created in oil paints with a limited colour palette, predominantly in hues of green and blue. With no sense of time or place, the immersive images evoke a sense of foreboding and isolation in the company only of the elements which the artist depicts.
In the last 15 years, Aikman has participated in a number of exhibitions both locally and abroad. In 2009, his work was featured in the major show, L’Anima Del Acqua: The Spirit of Water at the 53rd Venice Biennale, and in 2010 he was invited to the 4th Beijing International Art Biennale. In 2012, his work was selected for the Olympic Fine Arts exhibition, Creative Cities Collection, hosted at the Barbican Centre, London. Locally, the artist has presented more than 6 solo shows
